Once the crowd thinned, Briar fell back to walk beside the other woman. The point of an invitation to share her lunch had been to be social, after all, and that could hardly be done from a distance.

"I'm new here myself. I've only been here a few hours." The directions to the cafe had seemed simple enough, and she hoped they didn't walk by it. She kept an eye on the direction they were walking in as she spoke. "I left at a bad time, myself." Briar directed a smile at the other woman as she motioned to herself. "I was cleaning. I must look homeless, or something." With a good-natured laugh of embarassment, she added, "I wish I'd just had time to pack."

She wasn't as shallow as that, truthfully, but it was the sort of behavior she was accustomed to and most comfortable with.